


just a shot away from you

by orphan_account



Category: Ghost Rider (Comics), Punisher (Comics)
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Undercover as a Couple
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-09-06 01:22:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16822321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: "Evenin', handsome," grins the stranger. "You here all by yourself tonight?"Frank watches for a moment as Johnny fumbles for an answer. He sighs under his breath, plasters on a fake smile, and strides over to the table with their new beers in hand. He sets them down and wraps an arm around the blond's waist, ignoring the way Johnny tenses."He isn't, actually."





	just a shot away from you

**Author's Note:**

> title from take me out by franz ferdinand. proofreading is for cowards.

"We've been following this guy all _night_ , Castle," Johnny complains as their mark makes another stop. "Why can't we just grab him? I'm sure we can make him talk, between the two of us."

"Can't draw attention to ourselves," Frank replies, already removing his eyepatch and carefully placing his fake eye into the socket. He grimaces for a moment, then grabs his jacket and gets out of the van. "Keeping a low profile, remember? They can't know we're coming. C'mon, Blaze."

Johnny follows Frank into the bar with minimal complaining. They each get a drink at the bar before finding a table to sit down within view of the back corner where their mark is seated. Only once they're both settled in does Johnny seem to notice where they are.

"This is a gay bar," he realizes aloud.

Frank grunts. "Yep," he agrees.

"That doesn't... Bother you?" Johnny asks tentatively.

Frank looks away from their mark's table to give Johnny a thoroughly unimpressed look. "I'm not straight," he says flatly after a moment, and looks away again before he can catch Johnny's reaction.

"Oh," the blond says, tipping his beer back to take another drink. "Me neither."

Frank snorts. "I know," he replies. "You were a Champion."

They fall silent as they observe their mark and the other bar patrons. Frank gets up to get another round, but as he's heading back to the table, he watches as Johnny is approached by a tall, broad man in riding leathers.

"Evenin', handsome," grins the stranger. Frank notices the tension ease slightly from Johnny's shoulders. "You here all by yourself tonight?"

Frank watches for a moment as Johnny fumbles for an answer. He sighs under his breath, plasters on a fake smile, and strides over to the table with their new beers in hand. He sets them down and wraps an arm around the blond's waist, ignoring the way Johnny tenses all over again.

"He isn't, actually," Frank says, and tells himself firmly that he shouldn't overthink the kiss he presses to Johnny's temple. For authenticity.

"Oh!" says the stranger, seeming a little embarrassed. "Sorry to bother you. You two are a lovely couple," he smiles. "How long have you two been together?"

Johnny and Frank exchange glances. "About six years," Johnny replies, grinning, and leans into Frank. For whatever reason, they both relax a little at the contact. _Don't think about it._

"Wow!" the stranger sighs wistfully. "You know, you can really tell. You're very comfortable around each other. How did you meet?"

They exchange another glance. Johnny laughs; Frank smiles, and it almost feels like a real one. "We met through work," he replies. "I'm a mechanic. He used to be a stunt rider. I swear, he crashed his bike on purpose just to see me."

Johnny pinches Frank where the stranger can't see for that particular remark, but Frank doesn't wince. The stranger laughs with Johnny. They exchange belated introductions, and then the stranger finally seems to have sated his curiosity.

"Well, I'll just leave you gentlemen to it. You have a good night, now."

"Take it easy," Frank says, sitting back down and making sure to scoot his chair a little closer to Johnny's.

"What the hell was that, Castle?" Johnny hisses once they're alone.

"Would you rather I leave you to fend off all the guys in this place while I take care of this case?" Frank asks pointedly, gazing blankly at Johnny.

Johnny falters, then sighs. "Just warn me next time," he huffs, taking a comically petulant swig of his beer. After a few seconds, he frowns again, glancing over. "And what do you mean, _all_ the guys?"

Frank shrugs, aiming at casual. "You look about 26, you're ─ not unattractive, and you're a twink. At least half the bar has given you The Look thus far. Ain't you paying attention?"

"Castle," Johnny says, grinning slowly, "Did you just call me good-lookin'?"

Frank sighs. "You're just gonna ignore everything else I said, huh?"

"Yup," Johnny replies, seeming to have cheered up considerably. Frank rolls his eye.

Another few minutes go by, and then Frank leans in toward Johnny, nearly whispering in his ear. "Don't look, but I count at least four guys around the room that seem to be undercover security. One at the bar, one at a table, one by each exit. I'm guessin' they're here for our guy," he says, smiling as he speaks just in case anyone's watching. "One of them keeps glancing our way. What─"

Johnny turns his head, slides a hand around the back of Frank's neck, and yanks him down into a kiss. Caught off guard, Frank does his best not to flinch, but it takes a few seconds (and Johnny pinching him under the table) to get with the program. He returns the kiss, a little hesitant, and raises one hand to slide into Johnny's hair. It's _soft_ , he realizes, and wonders why it seems like that even matters.

Johnny pulls away after what feels like minutes but was probably just a few seconds. He meets Frank's gaze, smirking and darting his tongue out across his lower lip; Frank's eye involuntarily tracks the motion. It's clear he's enjoying turning the tables on Frank, the bastard. "PDA makes people uncomfortable," Johnny informs him a little breathlessly.

"... I know," Frank replies gruffly, forcing himself not to pull away too quickly; it'd draw suspicion. Instead, he slides his chair even closer to Johnny's. He leans in, dragging his lips along the other's jaw and then grazing his teeth over Johnny's pulse. Frank is gratified when he hears Johnny's breath hitch in response. "I say we get out of here," he continues, voice low and husky. "We can't start a firefight in here, and we ain't gonna get close enough to overhear anything. Guess we gotta go with your plan, after all. We'll have to take his info and act fast."

"You are being..." Johnny pauses, searching for the right word. " _Extra,_ Frank, and you know it," he replies, his own voice soft and perhaps a bit breathless. It makes Frank smirk, something Johnny must feel against his skin, because he pinches Frank's thigh. "Is anybody even still watching us?"

Frank brushes Johnny's hair away from his neck in what seems to be an affectionate manner, but is really just to clear his line of vision. He hums. "No," Frank replies honestly, but ─ he doesn't pull away. And neither does Johnny.

The answer hangs in the air between them for several tense seconds, and then Johnny laughs breathlessly. He smooths his hand up along Frank's thigh over the place he's just pinched. "We have a few days to gather intel before this deal goes down. Ain't that right?"

 _What the hell am I doing?_ "Yeah," Frank murmurs, giving in to his urge to just sort of... Run his fingers through Johnny's hair. "And now we know the guy's schedule. It must be nearly 3AM, anyway." Another gentle graze of his teeth elicits another soft catch in Johnny's breathing. "Maybe we should call it a night."

"Maybe," Johnny agrees, and now his voice is _definitely_ breathy. "No, definitely. Let's get out of here."

Frank can't help it; he huffs out a short little chuckle against Johnny's neck, then finally pulls away. "You always so bossy?"

"Yes," Johnny replies matter-of-factly, scooting back his chair and getting up. There is, Frank notices with no small amount of amusement, a healthy amount of pinkish coloring to his cheeks. "Let's go."


End file.
